Saturday, December 1, 2007

Home Business Houston-How to Choose the Perfect Network Marketing Home Business

In these uncertain economic times, many people today are looking for a solid and legitimate home business model to help create another stable stream of income in their lives. Not to mention the ability to spend more time with family, and the chance to quit their jobs and become their own boss.

Rather than taking the risky path of creating their own product and then trying to create a market for the product, many entrepreneurs are choosing to get into a turnkey network marketing businesses that can be easily run from home - especially with the technology available today.

The benefits of network marketing are that the market is already there - you just have to tap it to make sales. You do not need to reinvent the wheel trying to figure out if there is a market for the product. The items being sold by most network marketing companies, such as nutritional items, cleaning products or books are items that are already in demand by the public. There is no need to create a whole new market, or having to explain the value of a product that the public already knows that it wants to buy.

To find the best network marketing company for a home business, there are a few key areas to pay attention to:

1. Does the company sell something that you can believe in? If you do not have a passion about the product or the concept, then you should not choose that particular network marketing company. You want this home business to be fun and something you enjoy.

2. Are the items jut fads that won't be in demand for long, or are they items that the public will be interested in for years to come? You want a product or concept that will stand the test of time.

3. Are there a variety of items, or just the one product? There's a better chance of success when you can sell related items to a customer instead of just one product. And, when there are many products, there is no limit as to how many each customer might be interested in buying. The more you can offer, the more your customers will buy.

4. How difficult will it be to get customers and your "downline associates" interested in the items? Will you have to spend a long time explaining the product, or is it simple enough to attract a lot of attention? The KISS (keep it short and simple) principle really applies here. It if takes too long to describe the product or concept, people just won't buy or join.

5. Is the business so pervasive that everyone you are likely to market to has already joined it? Is it new enough that you can still introduce the idea to potential customers and plenty of downline associates?

If you can find a network marketing company that meets these criteria, then you've found a company, product and concept that has tremendous potential to be a wildly successful home business.

A network marketing business like the one described is one that will also be attractive to other people wanting to break into the home business arena and become part of your downline organization - which spells even great profits for you - since they will have the same excitement to grow their organizations as well. This duplication can create a huge residual income stream.

Bob Gatchel is a successful entrepreneur and internet marketing consultant specializing in network marketing and home business programs. His marketing methods have been featured in the the best selling book "Multiple Streams of Internet Income" by Robert G. Allen. He is also the founder of http://www.MLMWealthZone.com where he offers support, training and coaching to those interested in achieving success in network marketing.

Home Business Houston-How Much Does It Take To Start Advertising And Start Making Money In A Home Base Business?

Many people are starting their own home based business hoping that someday they will be generating enough residual income to quit their jobs and live a life only a few can. But the reality is different, a very high percentage of people starting their own home based business do not realize the hidden expenses in advertising that a home based business carries.

For example, depending on which program people decide to join wether is Discover Wealth System, Passport To Wealth, Edc Gold, Road Map, Perfect Wealth, etc., spending $397 or $497 or $997, or even more than $1,000 is just the first step towards the expenses before making profit and advertising hasn't begun yet.

Most of the top income earners in any internet company will rarely tell you how much they are really spending in order to make $15,000, $25,000 or $50,000 a month. They will tell you and even show you their bank accounts, but they will not show you their advertising expenses. Some of these expenses surpass the $10,000 mark in a month, somebody making $10,000 a month is spending at least half of that or more in just paid advertising.

In other words, if you are thinking of starting your own home based business and are thinking that you can get yourself on a profit making position in the first month in business, then you are either into a big scam or just not seeing where you are getting yourself into. The reality is that in order to make money you have to spend money, and starting a home business with just enough money to join and not enough to market and advertise your business, is going to take you nowhere but loosing the money you invested just to get started and get discouraged right away. It takes money and marketing knowledge to be successful in any kind of internet business.

Today, more than ever, people are realizing the advantages of starting a home based business. Due to corporate downsizing and economic uncertainties, more and more people are starting their own home based business. Millions of courageous individuals are living the "American Dream" of being their own boss. Sadly, for others, their fears will stop them from ever trying.

Stepping out of your comfort zone and overcoming your fears are necessary in order for you to succeed in a Home-Based Business. Changing your career track from being an employee to an entrepreneur is a very big step. However, If you are willing to do what it takes to succeed, the rewards can be great!

In today's world, it is possible to start a business with $1000 or less. And while you may not spend alot of money starting your business, in order to be successful, you will have to pay with something - your TIME and ENERGY. If you are looking to be successful in any small business venture, you will have to do what the winners do - NEVER QUIT! You will only get out of it what you put into it: No Time and Energy - -No Money, Some Time and Energy -- Some Money, Lots of Time and Energy -- Lots of Money! It's a simple principle - the harder you work, the more money you can make.

When you go from an employee to an entrepreneur, the rules for earning money change. Unlike working for someone else, trading hours for dollars and getting paid only for the hours you work. You must realize, when you work for yourself in a home business, your earning potential is directly related to your performance - not the amount of hours you work. When you learn the real meaning of leveraging your time and efforts, only then will you understand the real power of owning your own home based business. And only then will you realize the incredible income potential a home business can bring you.

Here are some important things you should do to improve your chances for success when starting a Home Based Business:

No. 1 Know Your Reason Why?

In order to succeed in your own business, you need to know what will drive you to your success. Your reason for succeeding has to be so strong that it keeps you motivated and more determined to keep going even on days when you will want to quit. For example, keeping your kids in private school, or being able to pay for their college education or buying a bigger house, or being able to retire with dignity, or just being able to live comfortably. Whatever your reason, it has to be something that would make you cry if you could not achieve it - keeping the goal in front of you, will only motivate you to persevere through the tough times. So keep your desire burning, and there will be no limits to what your can achieve.

No. 2 Treat your business like you treat your job?

When you work for someone else, what do you do? You get up everyday and get to work on time and do whatever the boss asked you to do. Well, why not SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF! Do something everyday that contributes to growing your business. When you start your home based business, You have to be able to work independently, pushing yourself to do something everyday without any supervision from anyone.

No. 3 Time Management

Plan ahead. Spend some time anticipating what might happen and how would you cope with good or bad situations as they arise. Know your product, know who your potential customers are. And be reasonably knowlegeable in all aspects of your business.

No. 4 Set very specific goals

You have to be able to face the risks and uncertainties that come with starting a home based business. Set very specific goals and follow through on them. Remember, how much money you make and reaching your success is directly related to your performance -- not how much time you put in. You can work at your home business for 24 hours a day, and not make a dime. Until you learn how to use your time and energy to produce results, only then will you produce profits.

No. 5 NEVER QUIT!

The BEST thing about your Home Based Business is that you are the boss. The WORST thing about your business is that you are the boss. Understand, to build a business will take time - nothing is a "get rich quick" deal. You have to possess tremendous drive to see the business develop. Discipline yourself and persevere!

Every month, thousands of people take the challenge and eventually succeed in a home based business. So go ahead take the leap and step out of your comfort zone, overcome your fears, the rewards of starting a home based business will be worth it.

There are thousands of thousands of home based business opportunities to choose from. Select the one that best fits your needs. As you investigate, many will not interest you. That's okay. Remember, you only need one opportunity to get started!

Our story is not so unique, however, Latonya and Reginald Gallon are "normal" professionals (An MRI Tech and an Operations Manager). We consider ourselves middle class with two children living in a middle class neighborhood. Hard working Americans who made a living the "traditional" way. Until we were introduced to the concept of leveraging our time and efforts with a home based business. We are now the owners and CEO's of tgbtravels.com a company that offers a new entrepreneur with an effective business model that builds personal wealth. We now are enjoying the personal freedom and financial independence we heard so much about.

Identifying the type of home business opportunity that's right for you, I recommend you visit yourplanforsuccess.vacationmedia.net The website is designed to help you make the final decision on which type of business to start.

In my previous Home Based Business - Wannabe's Survival Guides Parts 1 and 2, I laid out some guidelines the inexperienced online marketer can follow to avoid be taken advantage of when searching for an online home based business. In this installment, I would like to talk about the dollars and cents you can expect to lay out to start your business and just as important, the frame of mind you must adopt if you are to be successful.

According to a recent study by Forbes Magazine, over 79 million North Americans would like to start their own business. Our economy is to say the least not as strong as it once was. Many families are struggling to survive even with both parents in fulltime jobs and just the mention of retirement income sends lots of folks scrambling to stick their fingers in their ears. Not a comforting thought.

The vision of being your own boss, working from home and making a sizable income with a prosperous future is justifiably appealing to the masses. The direct sales industry is currently the fastest growing segment in business and budding entrepreneurs and the myriad of online companies are falling over themselves to offer the best opportunities. The chance to make a sizeable income working from home is available for the person with the right combination of business choice and mindset.

So using the guidelines from Parts 1 and 2, you've done your research, asked your questions, found a company and a sponsoring consultant with integrity and you're ready to get started. Now for the big one - how much should you expect to pay to start your new business? The dollar amount depends on a number of factors: the company, your comfort level and how aggressive you want to be. A review of what I would consider to be legitimate opportunities shows that you should be willing to invest a minimum of $2000 - $3000. This will likely include an initial product purchase, some limited administration fees and a small marketing budget to get you started.

If this sounds like a lot to you, this should be a warning bell because you're not being realistic. Keep in mind a bricks and mortar business will cost you considerably more (usually a minimum of six figures) and the wonderful thing about working from home is the ability to keep your day job while you do it part time, learn the ropes and start to turn a profit. It's not realistic to expect to spend less than this and make a decent income with a legitimate opportunity. Bottom line, if the thought of spending $2000 on your potential for a prosperous future after you've done all the research leaves you cold; keep the money in your bank account because what you are looking for is a job not a business.

Okay, enough harsh words. This is supposed to be a positive experience. You're now up and running and eager to start making a profit. Undoubtedly there will be some tough times ahead when you will question your decision making skills. Just about everybody who gets into this business has them; the point is, are you're mentally strong enough to weather the storm or will you cut and run back the "safety" of the old job. Sooner or later you have to trust your gut instinct to tell you you're on the right path. When this happens, you've got to dedicate100% of your mind to being successful. Easy to say isn't it? Who hasn't seen the movie or read the book The Secret? It tells you to visualize yourself in the position you want to be in and good things will happen. The authors explain that to achieve great wealth and balance in your life, your first have to train your mind to allow it to receive what it is you want and only then will begin to achieve. To the uninitiated it might sound a little strange but it's essential advice if you choose to succeed.

You're going to have to adopt the attitude that failure is absolutely not an option. Again, it sounds easy but this process takes time and experimentation. Friends and family will offer unlimited advice on what you should or shouldn't do. They will tell you "it's nothing but a scam." You will learn to completely tune out the naysayers in your life. Most important of all, you will have to surround yourself with like minded positive and successful people from whom you can learn. This is where a decent company can make all the difference in the world. Rarely if ever does an individual achieve great success solely by their own actions. On this subject, I highly recommend one of my absolute favorite books. "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. It was first published in 1938 and is still readily available. You can pick it up for less than $10 so just do it. It has gone on to become the number one success book of all time and is still every bit as relevant today as it was when first released. This book is a step by step guide to training your mind for success. If nothing else, it will open your mind to concepts and ideas that if you allow them to will have unbelievable results on your new venture. I wish you all the best of success.

Adrian McCluskey is an industry leader in network marketing and direct sales. He puts his background in communications and corporate marketing to use by assisting others to filter through the myriad of "Can't Miss" opportunities to find a legitimate online business model that will lead to credible long-term success and a balanced lifestyle. Email Adrian at adrian.successtogether@gmail.com to request a Free - No Obligation coaching call to discuss why a home based business maybe the right opportunity for you. He's laid back, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. http://www.success-together.com

Let's face it,jobs are on the decline in corporate America. The times are changing. If you do not change with the times, simple you begin to fall behind. Go to school and get a job, no longer holds true. Many baby boomers are finding out the hard way. With jobs being shipped overseas, companies downsizing to cut back on costs and increase profits, have taken away the security of having a 9 to 5. And if you are planning to depend on the government well good luck. Social Security doesn't have the money to fund our retirees in the future. So what can you do in these changing times? Simple it is time to start taking control of your own future. Yes it may require courage and the ability to withstand criticism. But it beats being 60 years old and getting fired from your job. You don't believe me, go to Wal Mart and talk to the door greeters.

What worked for your parents does not work today. Back in the day sure you could work for a company for 40 years and retire. The company would pay for your retirement and you could enjoy life on the golf course. That is not the case today. Companies are about making money, period. Paying for employees retirement proved to be very costly for companies. So they had their lobbyists in Washington change the law.So today we have 401k's and they are worthless! 401k's take all of the responsibility of retirement off of the companies and lay it on your shoulders. Now most people don't even contribute to their 401k's, so they will have nothing to rely on but Social Security. Now before you start patting yourself on the back, people contributing to their 401k's are the bigger fools. Ok when I invest in something, I have to have full control of my investment, period. 401k's offer no security, and no control. I'd hate to break it to you but when you are investing with your 401k you are investing in the stock market. The stock market is one of the least secure investments out there. I know people say well my 401k is worth $500,000. Well that's all great but what is your 401k going to be worth when you retire, that is what counts. And you have no way of knowing what the stock market will look like when you retire. If the stock market goes up awesome but what about if it doesn't. You are gambling with your future by depending on your 401k. And of course your financial advisor will tell you on average the stock market goes up, it's his job to tell you that. Remember he gets paid on commissions,you don't buy no money for him, most financial advisors are just salespeople.

So ok what do you need to do? You need to become financially educated. Before you invest in anything you need a financial plan. You need real professionals around you. When looking for a financial advisor find someone who actually makes a living by making money off of their investments. Do not go with a financial advisor who makes money solely from commissions. Gaining financial education can be the difference between you enjoying your life on the golf course or having to work at Wal Mart in your 70's.